On June 5, in Nha Trang city, Khanh Hoa province, the seminar "Norway-Vietnam: Promoting cooperation in aquaculture at sea".
The objective of the workshop was to provide a forum for public and private stakeholders and researchers to discuss the roadmap for sustainable aquaculture development and the role of stakeholders in that process. The importance of innovation and technological solutions to the development of the industry as well as how to train a skilled workforce to meet the requirements of the industry…
Speaking at the workshop, Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam Solbakken believed that this event would create a new impetus for Norway-Vietnam bilateral cooperation in the fisheries sector and to implement the Letter of Intent between the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries signed in 2021 on Strengthening bilateral cooperation in the marine aquaculture industry.
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| Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam Solbakken spoke at the Conference. |
At the seminar, Mr. Tran Dinh Luan, Director of the Fisheries Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, pointed out that: "Despite having great potential to develop the marine aquaculture industry, Vietnam still faces many challenges in developing the marine aquaculture industry, the infrastructure is not synchronized, the machinery and equipment is still simple, and the lack of highly qualified labor... Therefore, studying Norway's experiences and successful lessons will provide suggestions to help us solve current difficulties as well as develop appropriate policies to develop a stronger and more sustainable marine aquaculture industry."
Sharing the same opinion, Ms. Anne B. Osland, Director of the Aquaculture Licensing Department, Department of Aquaculture and Coastal Management, Directorate of Fisheries of Norway emphasized, in the trend of shifting to sustainable farming activities, in order to continue to develop, Norway's aquaculture industry must focus on sustainable processes. The starting point is to have effective planning and policies, creating a favorable environment for the development of the industry.
Currently, aquaculture is one of Norway's largest exports, after oil and gas. The industry has become a highly productive and specialized and professionalized industry, creating jobs for more than 8.000 people in coastal communities. Innovation and the development of new technologies are the keys to future success. Research and development of new, more sustainable production processes can take place throughout the value chain, with the private sector playing a key role. Close cooperation between government, industry and academia is a key factor in the success of the Norwegian aquaculture industry. Therefore, technology and sustainability are now becoming a common trend that dominates the entire industry.
Meanwhile, Vietnam is implementing the Project on Marine Aquaculture Development to 2030, with a vision to 2045 approved by the Prime Minister on October 4, 10 to develop marine aquaculture in a synchronous, safe, effective, sustainable and environmentally friendly manner, creating branded products to meet domestic and foreign needs, creating jobs for coastal communities and increasing incomes for coastal residents. Reducing exploitation and increasing aquaculture is also considered by MARD as a policy to help balance human needs with marine resource conservation and sustainable development. Therefore, switching to offshore farming, developing industrial-scale fish farming, aiming for export, and improving the quality and value of Vietnam's seafood will be an inevitable trend.
* Within the framework of the seminar program, the delegates had a field trip to visit the fish farm of Australis Vietnam Co., Ltd. outside Van Phong Bay, Khanh Hoa province to learn about industrial mariculture methods and automatic system equipment to help reduce carbon emissions from aquaculture activities.
